5-3 Private Carriage in Volume Instances (39 CFR 310.2(b)(2))

Private carriage of a letter is lawful if the activity is in accordance with the terms of a written agreement between the shipper or the carrier of the letter and the Postal Service. Such an agreement must do the following:

  1. Adequately ensure payment of an amount equal to the postage to which the Postal Service would have been entitled had the letter been carried in the mail.
  2. Remain in effect for a specified period, subject to renewals.
  3. Provide for periodic review, audit, and inspection.

Possible alternative arrangements may include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Payment of a fixed sum at specified intervals, on the basis of the shipper’s projected shipment of letters for a given period as verified by the Postal Service.
  2. Use of a computer record to determine the volume of letters shipped during an interval and the applicable postage to be remitted to the Postal Service.